March 23, 2013

Mmm… the sun is out and it’s finally starting to get warm outside! Spring is here, and this season I have noticed a lot of muted tones with organized pops of color. Nudes with orangy reds, for example, are being seen in the wardrobe and on the nails. For me, floral patterns are my earliest spring inspirations, but I am liking the muted and natural tones. I’ve been keeping my make up simple and natural and am gently warming into the colors as we transition into spring.

I’m wearing my black, burgundy, gold, and navy blue colors from winter and slowly graduating them into nudes, pastels, prints, and eventually bright colors of spring and summer. One of my favorite transitioning inspirations has been with hair. A clean and retro inspired updo is just the thing to keep our looks elegant and fun and ready for any season!

With product, this updo can be made very clean and smooth. I’ve decided to show you the steps without any product, leaving natural texture in the hair for what I feel works for a fun day look. Once you see the method, you’ll see how you can customize it to your own style needs.

What You Need:

hair pins, three hair ties, a comb, and a hair clip

Step One: Brush through hair to remove any tangles. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just smooth enough to work with. Divide hair into two parts by taking a section from top top. Depending on how large you want each “bump” you can decide to take more or less from the top.

Step Two: Use a hair clip to secure the top half of the hair. This will keep it out of the way while we work on the bottom half. Take the bottom half of your hair (the remaining section) and make a pony tail. Make sure the pony tail is at the highest part of the bottom half of the hair. This is where the bottom “bump” will be starting from.

Step Three: Pull the base of the pony tail a small distance from your head, make a hole in the middle of this new space between the pony tail hair tie and your head. Flip the entire pony tail through this hole- making the flip come through the hole from under and then out the hole and over the hair tie. This “hair flip” will cover the hair tie and and make the hair smooth and clean for our bump. You can pull the remaining pony tail to tighten it so it is secure.

Step Four: With the remaining hair of your flipped pony tail, add a new pony tail about half way past or two thirds the way down. Depending on the size of your bump will vary how much of a “tail” or the area beyond the hair tie you will want to have remain. My hair is pretty long so I don’t need to go too far down. The area between my head and the new pony tail is going to be the outer shell of the bump.

Step Five: Take the newly created tail and tease. You’ll end up with a ball of teased hair like this (and it now actually looks like a tail, ha).

Step Six: Take the teased ball and tuck it under the “shell” or smooth pony tail section. The teased ball will be against your head and wrapped inside the smooth pony tail section. Secure with pins. For me, I like to cross two pins in opposite directions on top of the now hidden pony tail tie located at the bottom of the bump and nape of the neck.

Spread the shell evenly to cover the teased ball. You can also add a pin to each side to secure the shell wrapping in place. Voila! You have your bottom bump.

Step 7: Remove the clip and smooth out the top hair section. Make a pony tail about two thirds the way down, leaving just enough hair beyond the hair tie for a tail.

(We are not going to flip this one because we want the sides to drape down and blend into the bottom bump). Tease the tail just like before, then tuck the teased ball of hair under the smooth portion of hair and against your head. Pin to secure just like the previous step. Smooth out any hairs that may be out of place and you are done!

That’s it! I’ve left mind a little messy with loose strands for texture. I think it makes the look playful for spring. If you want a more sleek evening look, just add some hair spray and smooth out both the finished bottom and top bumps for a clean and flawless look!

It’s easy and it takes only a few minutes. I get compliments on this look whenever I wear it and wanted to share the how-to with you. It’s too simple and elegant of a look to keep to myself. Plus, when you wake up late and are limited on time, this style makes it your little secret. It’s a nice boost of confidence knowing your hair looks great when you have to be out and have little time to get ready.

Make it your own by changing the size of the bumps or by adding accessories- headbands, ribbons, hair pins. Be as creative as you wish and let the season inspire you!

Speaking of being spring inspired, for those who are curious- this feminine floral top is a new one I just got! It’s from TOKYOFASHION, a Crochet-Collar Patterned Top in Floral Coffee from yesstyle.com. I’m in love with the collar! It meets my obsessions with collars, floral patterns, lace and crochet- brilliant!

Those who know me can be prepared for some collar and floral fashion updates coming next.

February 5, 2013

Ever find yourself with broken necklaces- often all tangled together just to make things more interesting? Fear not, now those necklaces can revive with a new life of their own. At first, I was going to break my necklaces down into even more pieces so that I could glue them onto an otherwise boring and inexpensive headband. Easy enough, right? Of course that means getting the glue out and trying not to make an even bigger mess as the creative juices flow.

Then it occurred to me. Ribbon! If I break off the pieces that are ready to fall off anyway, then tie the remaining portion of the necklace together with some ribbon- voila! I have a beautiful new headband

Because the ribbon is hidden under my hair, it doesn’t have to match the jewelry. This is some extra ribbon I had on hand. It wasn’t long enough for a present and I didn’t know what else to do with it until now. Not a bad use of leftovers if I do say so myself.

This necklace had a fitted section on top with lots of loose chains scooped underneath. The chains had broken off half way, so I went ahead and removed them completely. I then tied the two sections together with ribbon. It’s so easy!

This technique will work with your necklaces that aren’t broken, too. Instead of using the clasp, bring a thin strand of string or ribbon through the metal loops and you have an instant hair piece. Depending on the style of necklace, you can be as creative as you want. You can even use a string that compliments the necklace and wear the string long to show it off. Again, it’s as creative as you want to be.

Now when I shop for necklaces, I keep thinking of how I can get more use out of them!

After getting this idea I began hunting for more and came across this beautiful necklace from VIVIDRESS on yesstyle.com. It’s already a necklace and a headband- no work necessary. How beautiful would this be in your hair?

May 29, 2010

Most of the time we focus on the clothing- the latest styles, silhouettes, patterns, colors, and more. But we always have the opportunity to update our look (and our existing wardrobe) with everything that surrounds the clothing. I’m talking hair, accessories, and make up!

I love taking a simple black dress and making the bold elements my hair and shoes. Mix in a big bracelet, interesting earrings, or bright splash of color on the eyes and nails and bam you’re look is instantly updated. The trick is to not do all of the above, but just a few carefully selected choices. A few truly bold fashion statements will go much further on their own without any competition.

With the warm weather outside I have been feeling the simple look more and more. But clean and simple can still be elegant instead of boring. Take for instance the three things I am focusing in on today:

An updo, with a smooth round bun/ball of hair followed by a simple braid, a splash of color on the eyes, and a pair of killer hot strapped heels.

Okay, I probably should have taken photos right after doing my hair and not after running around finishing errands (ha); but I must say everything has been holding together nicely. And fashion wise, I feel comfortable, elegant, and fierce at the same time. Running around doing errands never felt so fun ;D

For my make up I decided to go with a solid color over the lids, blending where appropriate. I added a bit of water to the shadow to get a more vibrant color application. (This meant I blended the color against itself and my natural skin tone. Sans water the shadow applies in a much lighter and subtle shade, and with water the color is solid and brilliant). After that, just a touch of a dark shadow used as a liner on the bottom and outside the edges completes my look, as well an application of mascara.

Now for the hair, this was an unexpected do. I just did it, loved it, and ran with it! I knew I wanted something off to the side, but wasn’t sure what I wanted beyond that point. So I began with what I knew and made that the foundation. Just your simple pony tail.

From there, I took the top portion of my pony tail, made a small loop and secured it with pins. I teased what was left of my hair from beyond the loop (the portion the pins couldn’t secure smoothly) and then tucked it inside the loop of hair, spreading the loop until it covered the teased hair and looked like a smooth and perfect ball. Once I had that portion to my liking I added some pins to secure it.

Now I was sitting there with a puff ball on top, and the rest of the pony tail still sitting smoothly. I was going to make them into little balls of hair as well, but then decided to do a clean braid.

And bam- the look was complete. I will have to repeat this look and perfect it with time, I really love it

The final step in my look was with the shoes. I wanted something that would match my dress, but go beyond your classic heel design. Something with a bit more character to play off the hair and make up. These platform strappy heels from LA FRESHA were just the thing!

They have the perfect mix of textures, giving the solid black color a bit more character and interest. You also have a beautiful heel with an angled platform that makes these shoes stand out. A vibrant red undercoat and beautiful strappy front gives you a look that is sure to turn heads. I love these!

I love fashion, there is so much to play with! And I think it is great that even though you could be in a room with everyone wearing the same outfit, everyone will look different and wear it with their own unique style. The more you play with your hair, make up, and accessories the more you can separate your style from the masses. Find some inspiration, get motivated, and then start creating.

Look back into your closet for some old items and make them interesting again. Also keep in mind what you can do with your wardrobe when you are shopping for new items. Look for shoes that come in colors that match your dresses, or maybe a classic black pair with a unique design such as these pictured here. Whatever you do, make it your own and love every moment of it!

May 26, 2010

Ever have those moments where you need to suddenly rush out the door? We must always look our best, but sometimes our hair likes to bring up a challenge. Sometimes its our hair, sometimes it is the humidity!

One quick and painless answer I have is a mix of messy little twists. You simply gather sections of the hair, twist twist twist twist and twist until you create a little bun; secure with a pin and move on to the next until everything is up. Because it is messy you don’t have to worry too much about it, and if you place in the pin correctly it will hold all day.

I like it because if gives the illusion to having more time to have gotten ready than a pony tail would show. It is interesting, fresh, and fun. The classics are always good, like your standard chignon (either clean or messy) but sometimes a medley of twists is just the answer!

I have a fun new updo I have been perfecting and am looking forward to sharing with you. It takes a little bit of time and precision to keep the look clean, but the results are fabulous and one of a kind. It is elegant, bold, and gives old fashioned styles a modern twist. Be looking for it soon!

In the meantime, have fun styling your hair and keeping your look fresh and one of a kind.

April 18, 2010

(And An Elegant Side Braid…)

Spring is here and is filled with beautiful colors, pleasant pastels, pinks, nudes, and shimmers of silver. I like to play with the youthful attitude spring provides for us in our fashion by keeping looks simple, clean, and very fresh. This means in both our clothing items as well as our hair and make up.

Here I have kept the focus on two solid and bold colors: hot pink and silver. Everything else is natural, nude, and soft to build a pretty contrast without going over the top. Because the make up is so light and clean, save for the bold lipstick, I wanted to do something with my hair to break up the symmetry.

With a bubble style dress, tiered in this case, there is plenty of volume so I want to allow more for the feminine form through the limbs and neck, rather than the waist which is hidden. And so I swept all my hair to one side to make a simple and thick braid. When your hair is as thick as mine, you can also add some form by making a curve to rest on your shoulders.

The dress is from designer TIAN MU of YESSTYLE.com. I purchased this some time ago and am enjoying it now in the sunny weather. The shine is mesmerizing and I love how the tiers go slightly longer in the back. If you wanted to make it form fitted then all you need to do is add a belt and change up the style completely. Gotta love that in a dress!

November 13, 2009

When it comes to accessories I love items that are bigger than life. Oversized sunglasses, handbags (to a certain limit of course), watches, rings, and bows. Something about the contrast appeals to me, and I love a challenge when incorporating them into my wardrobe.

The instant I saw this bow I knew it was mine- how I would wear it I did not know.

So this morning when I was putting my hair into a side swept updo, something felt missing. There was a bit more space than I had intended on having, and the updo seemed to tight and clean. Not neccessarily a bad thing, just not the look I was going for. Enter the bow. What a perfect finish- it is whimsical, adorable, black and elegant. The cute factor with the heart, designs, and enormous size fit in perfectly. I love it.

One side is very smooth and clear while the other is a collection of soft textures wraped in place by the giant bow. The silhouette it creates is a unique one with lots of character. I love the angles and feminine cute feel that comes from it.

It’s hard not to feel adorable when you have a bow this big in your hair. Even though one side is light and clear and the other is heavy and textured, the balance remains as each side gives a glimpse into the other. It plays of each other just right creating a uniformed look.

I think I’ll be incorporating this ridiculously large bow into more of my updos, giving elegance a playful and cute twist.

November 2, 2009

What in the world is hair tinsel? When my stylist called me up I certainly had never heard of it before and didn’t know what to think exactly either. But his excitement was contagious and my curiosity is like that of a cat. It was on!

Yes, hair tinsel- not crinkly, chunky, or noisy like the Christmas tree kind, but sleek and soft very much like a natural hair strand. Only with extreme shine and sparkle. This is just a sneak peak- I’ll release the video with all the details soon. I would much prefer to have my stylist, Clemente Javier of www.clementejavier.com, do the explaining as he is the expert. I just see shiny pretty things in my hair and know that I am happy.

Know that these pictures do no justice. Seriously, no justice what-so-ever. But in a way that is a good thing because it shows how mysterious they can be. Also, something about shine and glitter in my camera does not pick up. But it is pretty memorizing in the video.

It is pretty subtle- nothing obnoxious or foolish. It’s adorable and playful. The way Clemente placed them in my hair it makes my hair glitter ever so subtly in certain lights- think of a crystallized piece of jewelry in a restaurant lighting- just gorgeous. Ha, ha, I love it.

It blends into the hair beautifully, but you will have to wait until the video is released here soon to really get a true glimpse! It’s pretty fabulous, so keep checking in for it.

It blends in nicely, some of these photos may look just slightly harsh and that is becasue I was forcing it onto the camera so you could at lease see something, ha. Just wait until the video is complete, I know I am excited to present it to you once it is!

July 28, 2009

Guest Blogger and renowned Hair-Stylist, Clemente Javier, gives us the inside-scoop perspective on what we can do for pretty, fabulous, and gorgeous hair.

He is my personal stylist- I credit him with the condition of my hair, keeping it long and healthy with a beautiful shine. I asked Clemente what the best option would be to survive the humidity, lose the frizz, and not sacrifice the texture of our hair. As always, he has the answer and this is a refreshing one!

Clemente Javier:

I’m generally not a big fan of hairspray, especially on longer hair. Shorter hair sometimes requires the shape to be set and held into place, sometimes. But on longer hair I believe the hair should be movable, touchable, and feel soft.

The problem is hairspray is often necessary, as in more humid climates where my arch nemesis humidity haunts all hair types. It threatens any blowout, taunts straight hair, and down right mocks curly tresses.

“FRIZZ!” I scream waking up in a panic, its a nightmare. I’m not a fan of hairsprays, because I’m not a fan of stiff untouchable hair, but I despise frizzy hair.

Luckily Kerastase makes a spray that cares: Double Force Controle Ultime. This is a wonderful product. Double Force is actually a protective spray, with its UV filter and Ceramide, as well a unique control spray. I say it’s unique because of the way that it does the job of controlling frizz and maintaining shape while not making your hair stiff or robbing your hair of its touchable soft feel.

Just as important to acknowledge is the protective benefits I mentioned. The UV filter technology protects your hair from sun damage, a very important step in maintaining beautiful hair.

While ceramide is a synthetic version of a chemical by the same name naturally produced by your hair follicle to maintain the hair structure. When the hair shaft becomes damaged this is lost, synthetic Ceramide replaces the lost natural Ceramide .

A genius product made by an amazing company. So, if you too are not a fan of hair spray or you just want to love your hair the way it deserves to be loved find your local Kerastase salon and pick up a can of Double Force Controle Ultime.

April 21, 2009

So I woke up this morning feeling especially girlie and feminine, it is such a beautiful day outside perhaps it is the sunshine coming in that is inspiring me. Looking into my closet I knew exactly what I wanted to wear- a white frilly dress, and my hair in soft curls with a bright red ribbon.

I have my curls very subtle, I like them that way with this type of look. They become more noticeable in the wind or when I walk- and I like that. With my dress being very simple and white, I wanted to add a bold color into the mix and thought the red ribbon was just the thing, and still keeps true to the girlie theme I am playing with here.

I also added a little bit of a puff to the pony tail portion of this look, I rarely wear my hair half up and half down, but when I do I like the subtle puff since otherwise it can feel to flat on top. I find it keeps a beautiful balance as it transitions into the curls or waves below.

And the dress- I love a simple yet frilly dress. Love it. If it makes me want to twirl when I am wearing it then I instantly want it. It’s the child in me, and I like to keep it happy (only child, naturally).

I found this dress some time ago I believe at forever twenty one, I haven’t worn it yet this year so I am delighted to be playing in it now.

Oh, did I mention it has the most adorable pockets on the sides? What makes me love this dress in particular is that the uneven hem is longer on the sides rather than the front and back. It is just slightly different and makes it all the more unique and wonderful.

It also has a very vintage look and feel about it, as if it once belonged to an old doll or was hand made from mom.

Even the pockets are larger than normal, giving that feeling of being a child and wanting to fill them with candy! This is certainly a fun one.

Notice:

PHOTOS ARE EITHER TAKEN BY ME OR COME FROM VARIOUS LOCATIONS ON THE WEB IN WHICH CASE I DO NOT CLAIM AND USE FOR COMMENTING PURPOSES ONLY. I AM MORE THAN PLEASED TO REMOVE ANY SPECIFIED PHOTOS BY REQUEST IF NEED BE. THANK YOU!